Preparation and characterization of imidazolyl ionic liquid‐based shear thickening dispersion system

Abstract Shear thickening liquid (STF) is a new nonNewtonian fluid widely used in industrial production. In this paper, a novel shear thickening and dispersing system, namely poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA)/1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazole hexa‐fluorophosphate ([BMIM]PF 6 ), was prepared using ultrasonic with PMMA as the dispersing phase and [BMIM]PF 6 as the dispersing medium. The stability, thixotropic, reversibility, rheology, and viscoelasticity of the dispersion system was studied, respectively. The dispersed system has good stability. The dispersed system shows high response sensitivity to shear rate, as well as good reversibility to shear thickening. Compared with traditional silicon dioxide/polyethylene glycol dispersion system, PMMA/[BMIM]PF 6 dispersion system displays a significantly enhanced shear thickening effect. Nonionic surfactant triton X‐100 of 4 wt% can greatly improve PMMA/[BMIM]PF 6 dispersion system's shear thickening behavior. This paper provides a new idea for the further development of protective materials by using STF.